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Californication Review: "Suicide Solution"

To kick off "Suicide Solution," Charlie ran in with the cricket paddle. It was great.

Out on bail for the second time this week, Hank needed some sugar. Seated between Marci and Charlie in bed, he looked like some dysfunctional family dog, but what really stole the scene was when Hank told Charlie he looked like a “big sexy baby.”

Wasn't it a great, symbolic depiction of Hank and Karen's relationship when we saw the two cars hooked up together charging? Karen can’t help but love Hank and lend him a hand. Whenever Hank hit bottom and needed to get his life back on track, Karen has always been there to get him up and running again.

Karen drove away as Hank pleaded with her to see Becca, but moments later we saw him charming Abby, his “Lady Lawyer.” He can’t help himself. It’s like a shark to blood in the water.

Marci and Karen sat and watched Becca play guitar on the strand, while Marci complained that she was getting her period. Last time I checked you don’t vomit from getting your period. Could Marci actually be preggers? Is it possible a sperm made it into her vajuju and wasn't killed by her cold black heart? Side note: I loved Becca mouthing “Go Away!” to Karen as she played.

Karen must have heard the desperation in her friend’s voice because Hank got a call while at Charlie’s that he could come see Becca. Becca loves Hank but I respected how she said “too soon” when he asked her for a hug.

At the guitar store, Becca jammed on a beautiful stick and when Hank asked her if she liked it she answered “what’s not to like, it’s a classic, but too expensive.” Becca can make the guitar sing, but at what cost to herself? In a way, Hank has been that guitar in her life. Becca usually can make beautiful music with him, and her life is a happier place when he is around, but at what cost? Does the heartache and pain outweigh the reward?

It seemed as if Becca’s relationship with her father might have reached a point where the juice is no longer worth the squeeze.

Charlie booked a meeting with Eddie Nero (Rob Lowe). Hank agreed to go just so long as they would stop at In-N-Out burger on the way. Finally, a reference to what I think is the tastiest hamburger on the planet! This request by Hank, along with his Bad Lieutenant line, had me grinning ear to ear. Then the next moment I was looking for a hug as I watched Charlie embrace a heart broken Hank as he lamented about Becca. Hank really struggled this week to hold himself together.

Nero made his debut looking like a goateed Brad Pitt and waxing about the dark side in a scratchy Ben Stiller-esque voice. Then he went all Billy Walsh from Entourage when he called Charlie “Suit” and threatened to shoot him in the balls with a paint ball gun like he was a graduate of the Gary Busey School for the comically insane.

I have to admit, though, Charlie was acting the part, what with his finger snapping as he spewed lines like “bible’s the truth, bible’s the truth, ba doop boop!”

In the end, they were able to raise a glass and toast to “hard cocks and handsome men” before Eddie excused himself to go talk to a girl he had previously defecated on in Palm Springs. It was a pretty solid whirlwind of a character introduction. The window for Lowe to overact was definitely opened after this first encounter, but I have a feeling he will deliver on the money in this role.

Sasha showed up shortly after and looked amazing. Hank went alley cat as he picked up a burger and a beer off discarded room service. Sasha seduced Hank once again, this time with some talk of one-to-four finger foreplay.

She had to split when Nero showed and asked Hank to wait in the bathroom until she left. Hank discovered the pharmacy on Sasha’s bathroom counter. After hitting the pause button, I could see at least two bottles of sleeping pills, a third bottle prescribed to alleviate pain and at least three other illegible bottles in the background.

Hank ended up taking too many pills, but I wonder if he won’t be the only one to over-medicate this season. I just realized that Sasha spelled backwards spells “Lohan.”

Loving Becca has been the most profound, painful experience of his life. As he wrote on, I think all the things he had done to hurt her came to a head. The booze and pills weren’t enough to dull this pain, the realization that he has been the source of so much hurt and sorrow in the life he swore to protect. The episode ended with Hank saying that it was getting dark, too dark to see and the image of him being washed over by the waves of the ocean.

Hank wasn’t trying to kill himself, but the weight on his back that he treads water with on a regular basis finally got too heavy for him. The water engulfed him.